Plans to double housing provision to homeless people in Kilkenny under 'Housing First'
Senior Executive Officer of Kilkenny County Council, Michael Leahy, says that there are plans to 'double numbers' accommodated under the 'Housing First' programme locally in 2022.
The update follows a positive recent meeting of the Council's Strategic Policy Group (SPC) on housing.
Housing First provides an effective solution for individuals who have repeatedly tried and failed to exit homelessness, who have given up on the treatment-then-housing ‘staircase’ approach, or who have been given up on by systems that regard them as ‘treatment resistant’, ‘hard to reach’, ‘not housing ready’, or ‘homeless / rough sleeping by choice’.
Housing First successfully engages these individuals by offering and providing immediate access to an apartment of their own, as well as access to person-centred, community-based, recovery-oriented visiting supports.
"A lot of work goes into the programme," Leahy emphasised.
Director of Services of Kilkenny County Council, Mary Mulholland, told members that 'Housing First' can be challenging as finding the right properties in the right places can be difficult.
By providing a person with a home, Housing First offers dignity and ignites hope in individuals who have often been treated in an undignified manner, who have remained homeless and who have felt hopeless for years.
Kilkenny County Council had set a target of accommodating twelve people under 'Housing First' in 2021.
A total of thirteen people were housed under the scheme during that time.